Dreams of Death
by AuthorChick96
Summary: Just a little one shot to tide over the masses and maybe tug on your heart strings a little bit.


_It was a sunny day, and it seemed almost cruel for the sun to be shining as bright as it was. There was an unusual amount of black to be seen around the grave site as the crowd was massive. Edward Elric felt numb as he watched the funeral procession go by, also confused; who were they burying? _

_He followed the large group, shouldering past people to get a better look, when he spotted Gracia and Elicia, both sobbing their eyes out. Ed kept going, starting to pick up the pace as he saw more and more people crying: Major Armstrong, Havoc, Hawkeye- Hawkeye! _

_Even Mustang was having a hard time keeping his tears at bay. He had his fists clenched at his sides and his shoulders were shaking; Mustang –the b**d—never cried. _

_Now Ed was really starting to panic, his footsteps thundering across the ground as he raced after the coffin. The pallbearers had set it on a little pedestal by the hole in the ground, empty of a grave marker—for now, at least. The priest was blathering on about safe passage into heaven or some religious crap like that, but by now Ed had reached the front of the procession to find his brother, face pressed into the gauntlets of the armor, shaking with sobs that couldn't be seen or felt but should've been. _

"_You may say your goodbyes again if you must." The priest said, and the upper half of the coffin was opened. Ed got shoved back before he could get a good look; he tried to push his way forward again when he heard little Elicia say: "Mommy, why do they have to bury Sissy?" _

Sissy . . . _ No, it couldn't be Winry! It just couldn't! _

_Ed dropped to a crawl and wiggled his way into the center of the crowd to see the body in the coffin, and his heart skipped several beats, breath freezing in his lungs._

_Long red hair splayed out over the satin pillow; a tiny, slender figure clothed in a white, frilly dress; pale face done up with makeup to make her seem less dead; hands folded calmly over her stomach as if she were sleeping; a red rose woven between her fingers. _

_The body in the coffin was EJ's. _

Ed sat bolt upright, heart racing, fingers clenched in the sheets as sweat all but poured off of him. He fought down a wave of nausea and got his breathing under control; that had been so realistic and had left his already stressed heart hammering. Ed clasped his flesh hand against his automail one to stop them from shaking, digging the knuckles of his thumbs into his forehead as he rested his elbows on his knees.

"Ed?" came the sleepy voice from the bed over. The blond turned towards the sound to see EJ silhouetted against the sunlight streaming in the window, turning her hair fiery red. Even if she did have a bad case of bedhead that morning, Ed was still relieved to see and confirm that she was alive.

"Nightmares again?" she asked, sitting next to Ed. Ed said nothing to confirm or deny that answer; he just sat and stared at EJ who was now sitting cross-legged with a pillow against her chest.

Without any warning, Ed reached over and pulled EJ close to him, breathing in her scent and feeling her warmth. She wasn't a cold lifeless shell about to be put in the ground; EJ was a vibrant, energetic, ball of flame that burned brighter than the sun.

"Ed?"

"You remember that promise you made me a while ago?" He asked haltingly. "About you not dying on me so long as I don't die on you?"

"What about it?" EJ wondered, starting to feel concerned for Ed's sanity. Ed sighed, his breath sliding along EJ's neck and raising goose pimples as the redhead shivered.

"Don't break that promise anytime soon, got it?"

EJ sat there in stunned silence for a second or so before putting her arms around Ed. Whatever Ed had been dreaming about had really shaken him; then again, she'd just barely come out of a nightmare about Ed's funeral where everyone was crying whether they'd known the real Ed or not. EJ couldn't imagine a deceased Edward; he was too stubborn for that. Death would have to drag him away kicking and screaming if it ever got its hands on him; the mental image made EJ smile as she said in Ed's ear:

"I got it."

The two teens went back to bed, but stayed awake for a little while, both too terrified that they'd dream about the other dying, and hoping to die at the same time. Neither of them wanted to have to attend the others funeral.


End file.
